Teenage Wasteland
by DreamsInBlackAndWhite
Summary: Year 10 is a wasteland of drugs, fights and teenage ecstacy. The Gang explore this barren landscape cheerfully. After all, it's part of growing up, isn't it? Just not part of growing old. M for language and references to sex and drugs. DxW AxD RxM GxM


**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Robin Hood series. _**

**_So, this is my first Robin Hood fic. Enjoy. Can anybody please clarify for me exactly what the Lady Clark of Books challenge is?? Chapter title comes from 'The Fratellis' song. 'Look Out Sunshine'._**

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**CHAPTER ONE: Yesterday's Heroes In Last Night's Clothes-Will.**

The name's Scarlett. Will Scarlett. Guess I should say hello. Hi. I'm sixteen years old and I live in a little town called Nottingham. I mean, it's not really little. In fact, it's pretty big. Big enough to have an inevitable wrong side of town, anyway.

I go to Sherwood College and, truth be told, it's a bit of a dump. Actually, I suppose it's not technically a dump itself. The grounds are actually quite nice. The government bought it out last year and demolished our school. So we go to a fancy school but nobody pays fees anymore. A win-win situation, you'd think. But _they _go to Sherwood College. And _they_ were there first. And it's on _their _side of town. They call us poor. We call them posh. Everybody hates everyone.

School's not so bad though, even with scum like Vasey. Because all of my mates are in the same boat with me. We're a group, you see. A clique, I suppose. _They _call us a gang but we're not really. We're just united. Together against all odds. That sounds a bit stupid, even to me, but it's true. We could conquer the world really. At least, I'd like to think that. Even if it's not true. I notice stuff none of the others do.

Like how we're all just drifting through, having a life with no plan. Well, I have a plan. I've been scrimping for years for college. Odd jobs and that. All honest cash too. We're always strapped for cash, my family. At least, it always seems that way. Dad doesn't do so well anymore now that all the building work is drying up. He has his own company and fits kitchens but I know he's in trouble, even though he tries to hide it.

Luke couldn't care less. He always has enough cash. I haven't a clue where he gets it from, but at least he's not lifting it from our Dad anymore. It's probably illegal whatever he's doing but that's only third place in my top three problems at the minute. Yes, I have two problems bigger than my brother's moral well being. You want to be nosy? Fine.

My best mate Allan is on his last chance with the local arm of the law before he gets packed off from the care home he lives in to some juvenile reclamation project.

That's a big one. I've known Allan Adale since we were in Junior Infants. He tried to snort play dough up his nose and I used a crayon to scrape it all out. Basically all I've done since is get dragged bodily into trouble with him and then try and drag him back out. He's the best mate I've ever had though. We have secrets but we're closer than brothers. We've never had a proper fight. Over anything.

Which brings me to problem number one on my list.

I'm irrevocably, undeniably, irreversibly and whole heartedly in love with a girl called Saffiya Djaq. She's a good friend. And Allan is head over heels in love with her too. At least, he thinks he is. And he doesn't know how I feel. We don't do feelings, either of us.

Saffiya is... she's wow. Amazing. Beautiful. Funny. Smart. Which is why she will never be one of Allan's lays. He's a moron. I'm allowed say it. He has nothing in common with Saffiya. She likes hiking and reading and intelligent conversation. He likes spliff and shagging and YouTube videos that they can't show on TV because they're way too nasty. Zilch in common. And yet. He's convinced he's got true love for her.

I've known Saffiya an entire year. She's Marian's best friend and tends to trip us all up with her amazingness. She came here from somewhere far away all alone. Her brother and parents were killed and she had to flee her country with nothing but the clothes on her back. She lives with Marian. It's sort of weird. I'm not sure how it happened. Or even if Marian's Dad knows he has two teenage girls living in his house.

Saffiya is short and stunning. Her hair is cropped short, showing off her face. Her smile goes through me like a big warm whoosh. She flirts with Allan and she's absurdly affectionate with everyone, even random strangers she meets in the street. She dances when there's no music. She laughs at bad jokes and once when I picked up all of her books for her, she pecked me on the cheek. She's like nothing I've ever seen before. She's elusive and enigmatic, like-

"Will! Will, you tosser! Let me the fuck in!" Allan bashes the window clumsily. I frown, pushing Saffiya away. No time to be lyrical when your best friend is clinging to the drain pipe by your window, risking life and limb just because he thinks it's cooler than using the door.

I unlock the window and Allan tumbles in, reeking of sweat and alcohol and spliff all rolled in one. His hair's a gluey dark blond mess on top of his head; he's wearing the same clothes he's had on for days. I step back, reeling. He'd been clubbing. Allan's definition of clubbing is very different than the rest of the entire world. He has to smoke at least two joints. He has to try and chat up fifty different girls. He has to get sick on some hard guy's shoes and drag us all into a fight.

"'Morning Al" I say as he charges across the room. He sticks his head out the door, glancing up and down in case Luke's up then turns and throws himself back on my bed. The duvet falls off and he folds his arms behind his head, grinning crookedly up at me.

"Ah man, you missed a top night. I'm not being funny or anything, but it was amazing. I don't even remember half of it. I'm in a spot of bother though. Janey's got the pigs looking for me. Tosser of a counsellor told her that I 'absconded from his office' early on Friday. She hasn't seen me all weekend 'cause I was kipping at John's. So they're fucking looking for me now. Passed a car. I think they've followed me here. Will you get the door and like, cover for me? I'm not here" he says, pulling a massive bag of dope from his back pocket and dumping it on my bedside locker.

"Jesus Christ Allan! Mind putting that away! My Dad would go spare if he saw it. Take a shower mate. You reek. You're bin bag of clothes is still in my closet. Might have some of the uniform" I tell him, pulling on a t-shirt. He gives me the finger and gets up, slouching to the closet and pulling out the big plastic black bag packed full of his clothes. He keeps most of his crap in my bedroom because he doesn't actually spend much time at the St. Wesley Children's Residential Care Home.

The doorbell rings just as I'm at the top of the stairs. I leave him to his own devices and jump down the stairs two at a time, almost blundering into Luke while he slumps out to get the door. Un-Luke-like behaviour. He never gets the door. Ever. In fact, I've not seen him up before me since Mum.

He looks like shit, it has to be said. He's got big black circles under his eyes, his hair is an absolute mess, hanging loose around his face. He looks exhausted and edgy at the same time, jostling my unresisting body out of the way to open the door first. When he sees the coppers on our doorstep he turns wordlessly and slouches back to the kitchen. It's only then I notice he's not dressed for school. Even Luke comes in for the first day. I'd check it out later. I have problems of my own.

There are three coppers on the doormat. Two men and a woman. One man's young, only a few years older than me. He looks a bit scared. The woman's young too, her face totally blank. And the older man's kind looking, eying Luke's retreating form worriedly before he turns a grand fatherly smile at me.

"Hullo! My name's Sergeant Rhodes. May we come in?" he asks, looking like some kind of ancient, wrinkly wizard. His smile widens and the woman trys a strained grin. I look him straight in the eye, praying Allan doesn't call down to me and I shake my head.

"Sorry. But my Dad's doing overtime. Not allowed let anyone in without his permission" I say, smiling apoligetically back. My phone buzzes loudly in my pocket and I do my best to ignore it. Have to focus. Don't want to trip over any big, fancy lies. I hear a thump from upstairs and the young policeman's eyes flicker towards the stairs. I can feel myself sweating now.

"William, is your friend Allan Adale here? Only, his social worker's very worried about him. He disappeared from a counsellor's office on Friday and hasn't been in touch. You understand, don't you William? It's very important that we bring him home and get him-"

"Sorry. Can't help. Haven't seen him since Friday night" I interrupt. He scans me over once, one eye wrinkly. He frowns. The young policeman whips out a notepad and takes the lead then. I hear Allan swear loudly upstairs. He stubbed his toe. Jesus. Allan doesn't understand incognito.

"At what time and where?" the policeman asks. I panic.

"Six o'clock mass" I blurt out randomly. The police officers all snigger. I'd snigger too if I wasn't trying to sell the idea of Allan going to mass. Luke pours cereal in the kitchen and Allan curses loudly again. Fucker. The water in the shower's too hot for him. He starts singing badly, completely off tune.

"So who's that then upstairs?" the policewoman asks. They're confusing me, all these questions coming from different faces. I try and stay calm. Nimble comes gingerly to the door and I pick her up. Nimble is my cat. I found her when I was thirteen. 'Nuff said. She mews softly at me and yawns. The old policeman strokes her once, grinning from ear to ear.

"What? In the shower? That's my mate. Jack. I'd ask him about Al but he's been away the entire week" I say quickly, scratching Nimble behind the ears. They look put out at that. Allan shuts up his warbling and the shower goes on and on, the water loud and thrumming through the house.

"Right. Well, if you do see Allan in school could you tell him we were looking for him? And-"

I cut him off by closing the door. Nimble jumps from my arms at the loud noise, hissing, and I turn and walk into the kitchen. It's a wreck. Dirty dishes tower above the sink. Luke's got his trainers on the table while he munches a bowl of frosties. His eyes are closed and his iPod is blasting out some loud rave music. I don't bother trying to shift him. Instead I pile back upstairs. Allan's left his spliff under my bed, a good compromise.

The window's still open and I shut it carefully, glancing out into the road before I check my phone. The pigs have piled back into their car.

A missed call from Robin. Two text messages, one from John and one from an unknown number. Spooky. The shower switches off and a few minutes later Allan's back in the room wearing a pair of battered, ragged, ripped up jeans and a white polo t-shirt with the school tie hanging around his neck. Of course, he hasn't got a jumper. It's just about enough to get away with on the first day but we'll have to hunt out his uniform after school.

At least he's cleaner now. His hair is carefully messed up and he's totally deodorized. He grins at me when I walk past and I slap him playfully around the head. I have time for a two minute shower and then I'm out, my uniform just a little better than Allan's. His trainers are in even worse nick than mine but I haven't got the money to spend on new ones. Allan would lift a pair for himself at the weekend anyway.

Does it bother me that my friend robs anything he needs? Not really. He has to. It's hard to get by for me, and I've got a Dad at least. Even if he is a bit crap. Allan hasn't seen his parents in years. He's been in care since he turned nine. He gets by. He doesn't whine. Doesn't grumble. He just gets on with it. In a shady way. So what if he gets off his face all the time? He's got shit to forget.

"Will man, this year is gonna be great. I'm not being funny or anything, but this year the game totally fucking changes. Sixth form mate. It's gonna be incredible. Hey, y'know where my fucking school bag is? Can't find it anywhere. No books either. I think Janey's holding them hostage or something. You have anything to eat?" Allan asks, using a generous glob of my hair gel to push his hair out of his eyes.

"No. Luke's just scoffed the rest of the cereal. We don't have time anyway. C'mon. The bus'll be round any minute. We're already late" I say, hooking my school bag from under my bed. Allan grumbles and follows me down the stairs, slightly subdued with the threat of school looming over him. Allan doesn't like school. Not at all. But he's got to stick at it because his social worker wouldn't let him leave. She knows him too well for that.

"Luke? You're gonna be late" I call to my brother. He tells me to fuck off. Just charming. Allan snorts and I shepard him out the door, closing it tight behind me, cutting off Nimble mid mewl. Allan chuckles and grabs some of the rain covered leaves from the little tree in the porch. He hurls them at me and sniggers, vaulting over the low garden wall with ease. I shake my head and ignore him. Wasn't his fault his mum dropped him on his head as a baby. Repeatedly.

I pull out my phone and pick Robin out of my contacts, pressing call. I hold the phone to my ear, wondering what he's up to. He only got back from his holiday yesterday. Idly I wonder what Much is doing. Probably nit picking about school. Much is like that.

Robin's not. But even Robin Locksley shows up for the first day of school. In fact, Robin's got pretty good attendance. He likes school. Likes to wind up teachers and chat up girls. He's popular in school. Everyone likes him except _them_. And teachers. And Marian, nowadays.

Robin's seventeen, just a few months older than me. He had his party at the start of the summer. It was... characteristically explosive. He's a little on the short side with dark, dark blond hair and I suppose, if we are a gang, he's in charge. He whips us off on his random crusades every week. Without him, this summer was a little flat. Fun, but flat.

"Will. How's it going? You miss the bus?" Robin asks, picking up almost instantly. I smile. He must already be on the bus in his immaculately rebellious uniform. We have crappy uniforms because we can't afford the full thing. With Robin, it's not about money.

"Yeah. Allan had a spot of bother with coppers. Sorted now though. Why? You on the bus?" I ask, following Allan over the garden wall and down the dingy little street to the bus stop at the end of my road. Robin chuckles over the phone.

"Yeah. With Much and John. No sign of trouble so far anyway. S'pose there will be when we get to school though. Hey, have you been talking to Marian? It's just, Saffiya said that she was mad at me and, well, I wondered-"

"Mad is an understatement. She's bulling, Robin. She won't even talk to us anymore because apparently we're on 'your' side. She's been running with Gisbourne and his lot. Sorry mate, but you've really fucked up that one. She said to tell you if you tried to come near her that she'd grab your-"

"Alright, Will. I don't need the graphic details. Thanks for the message. Tell you what, me and Much'll wait at the gate for you. Is Allan alright? Much said he was messed up at about eight last night in the Main Street with some Polish gents. You sure he's good for school?" Robin asks.

I glance ahead to where Allan is telling an old woman at the bus stop to fuck off. He's always at his most charming in the morning. She shakes her head and mutters something about respect for elders. Allan gives her the finger and goes back to slumping on someone's garden wall and lighting up a smoke.

"Yeah. He's great. Just super. Don't worry, he's more together now. Should be fine by the time we get to school. Don't worry about it. Yeah, if you guys would wait, that'd be good. I think we're gonna just make it in time for orientation, to be honest" I tell him. Allan squints behind me into the sun and I turn, smiling. The bus has gotten here just on time to suit me for once. We both bale on and get our bus passes scanned before Allan drags me upstairs.

The bus is another thing I wish I didn't have to deal with. Its grimy and scummy and rattles loudly. People take the mick on anyone who has to get the bus. The flash kids have cars to take them to school. They have options. The only option I have is walking or the bus.

"Just got on the bus now mate. See you in fifteen" I tell Robin. I hang up before he replies and sit down beside Allan, the motion of the bus jolting him occasionally against me. He stubs out the last inch of his cigarette on the seat in front of him and turns his attention to a girl sitting up at the front. He nudges me, his eyebrows raise, his face cheeky. I know he's going to say something. I'll apologize to the girl when we get off. I scan her too now, wondering what's caught his eye.

"Babe" Allan calls.

We're the only ones apart from her on this floor of the bus. She's alone up at the front. She knows he's talking to her. She ignores him fastidiously. It takes a lot of nerve to try and ignore Allan.

She's small and thin and frail looking, with her arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looks like she's trying to hold the pieces of herself together. Her fingers tighten when Allan calls again and I realize she's not as confident as she wants us to think. She juts out her chin, like life is a fight.

She has long, tumbling black hair and she's wearing the school uniform, all of it. She's one of _them_, no question about it. But she's on our bus. Well, I mean, it doesn't actually belong to us. Not really. But you get what I mean. Don't you? Yeah. I suppose you get it by now.

"Babe" Allan calls for the fourth time. She wheels around and looks at him, her face crinkled in anger. She's incredible. She gives Saffiya a run for her money. She's wearing that black shit around her eyes that girls love but it's her eyes I can't look away from. Her eyes are blue and they burn into me like she's singled me out to happily strangle. She's not a happy camper.

"Will you shut it you putrid moron!? Take your boyfriend and crawl back into whatever hovel it is you came from!" she snaps. Allan roars with laughter and nudges me again, chuckling. I can tell he loves her already. It's spooky. She reminds me of someone but it's more an unpleasant thought beneath the surface that I can brush away. Allan leans forward, grinning at her. I groan. Why can I never just catch a shitty bus to school peacefully?

"Putrid? I'm not being funny or anything, but what's a girl like you doing on a bus like this?" Allan asks. He gets up and physically pulls me along behind him, forcing me to sit opposite the girl while he sits in front of her and turns around to talk. She looks like a trapped animal, ready to snap at the first sign of danger. I want to warn Allan but he ignores me when I call his name. Whatever he gets, it'll serve him right.

"The exact same thing you are. I'm going to school. Although I shouldn't think it from the look of you" the girl replies. Allan's over the moon. He loves a girl who can stick up for herself. Maybe that's why he likes Saffiya? I'm not so sure. The bus trundles around the corner onto the main street, nearly knocking over an old woman on a bike.

"D'you wanna come to a party tonight? Start of the year. Little get together. You could bring a mate, too. Gonna be great. You up for it?" Allan asks appraisingly, wriggling his eyebrows. He thinks its persuasive. It's actually really annoying.

"Not if you paid me. In fact, the only way I'd even consider it was if you promised not to be there. I am not interested" she says, her voice high and annoyed. Allan takes this as a sign that she's relenting. He's a moron. I decide to step in before anything else can fuck up. We're nearly at the bus stop anyway. Might as well get off the bus on good terms with her.

"I'm sorry about him. He's a bit of an idiot" I tell the girl. I'm on my feet and dragging Allan to his when the bus shudders to a stop. She springs up carefully, delicately and kisses me on the lips. So softly I'm not even sure it happened. By the time I'm back to Earth she's halfway down the stairs. Allan's mouth hangs open like a dead fish as his brain works to formulate the words he so desperately needs.

"Why the fuck did you kiss him?" he asks incredulously. One part of me is offended at the disbelieving tone of voice he used. Three other parts of me are buzzing. The girl doesn't even stop. She just throws her reply back over her shoulder for us.

"Because he's cute".

I float off the bus, ready for whatever my shit filled life will throw at me next.

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**_Fin. Do drop us a review, me hearties._**


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